Four potential trade destinations for Canucks’ Brock Boeser

The Vancouver Canucks have signed three pending unrestricted free brokers because the calendar flipped to February, however the greatest information is the high-profile participant that was omitted from the current bout of enterprise.

With lower than two weeks remaining till the March 7 commerce deadline, longest-tenured Canuck Brock Boeser stays with out a contract extension.

The soon-to-be-28-year-old is within the remaining yr of a three-year, $19.95 million contract that he signed forward of the 2022-23 season. His tenure together with his draft workforce has been up and down and that’s notably true since he signed the bridge deal.

His 2022-23 season, very like the remainder of the workforce, began bleakly and it culminated within the close to healthy-scratch of the winger in December 2022. He remained within the lineup, however the fractured relationship between Boeser and the Canucks led to the start of commerce hypothesis.

However the previous adage is true — profitable solves every little thing. Boeser and the Canucks loved a resurgent season in 2023-24, one wherein the winger scored 40 targets and the Canucks received the division for the primary time since 2015.

Hitting career-highs in factors and targets wasn’t sufficient for Canucks administration to decide to Boeser long-term within the low season and the hypothesis has spilled into this yr. An early-season concussion, for which he missed seven video games, derailed his very achievable plans to match his manufacturing from final yr, and he has but to completely proper the ship. Boeser has 18 targets and 35 factors in 48 video games — on tempo for the third-highest targets whole of his profession — however he is definitely not scoring on the identical clip and hasn’t been the identical game-breaker he is proven he is able to being.

All of this has led the Canucks to an deadlock of types. The workforce is sitting precariously within the second wild-card spot within the Western Convention, leaving them within the murky center between purchaser and vendor.

Do they preserve their very own participant as a rental and threat shedding him within the open market? Do they commerce him now and threat crashing out within the first spherical of the playoffs, or worse: settle for defeat and fail to satisfy the post-season totally?

For his half, Boeser has been steadfast in his need to stay with the Canucks, however can be accepting of the truth that an extension in Vancouver won’t occur.

“I’ve stated how a lot I adore it right here and I am greater than keen to return again,” Boeser stated to Postmedia‘s Patrick Johnston on Monday. “Clearly, I might like to re-sign but when that is not the case, go to UFA and be simply nice. That is made me much less careworn and simply focussing on serving to the workforce win.”

Whichever highway the Canucks select, Boeser is certain to draw suitors from throughout the league. Listed below are 4 groups that would profit from having a participant like him be a part of their roster. 

Beginning with maybe the obvious vacation spot, there are many explanation why Boeser looks like an excellent match for the Wild.

Apart from the actual fact it might be a homecoming for Boeser (we’ll get to that shortly), he fills a hockey want for the Wild. Regardless of sitting third within the Central Division, 4 factors forward of the Colorado Avalanche with one recreation in hand, the Wild have only a plus-five goal-differential.

Since star winger Kirill Kaprizov was injured on Jan. 26, the Wild had been shutout on back-to-back nights heading into the 4 Nations break and to make issues worse, basic supervisor Invoice Guerin stated on Saturday that Kaprizov could also be sidelined for longer than expected.

With out their perennial 40-goal man, the Wild’s top-six does not generate almost as a lot offence. Because it stands, Boeser’s level whole could be fifth-highest on the Wild, a noticeable enchancment on the suitable wing and will present a lift to their struggling, Kaprizov-less energy play that is sitting twenty fourth within the league at 19.2 per cent.

Boeser would additionally present a jolt within the post-season. It has been almost a decade because the Wild received a playoff spherical and with 12 factors in seven post-season video games with the Canucks in 2024, Boeser could possibly be the sparkplug wanted to get Minnesota over the end line.

It helps, too, that the Wild play spitting distance from Burnsville, Boeser’s hometown. It definitely decreases the percentages that his acquisition could be a pure rental, if the Wild can work out the quantity on a long-term extension.

The curiosity in Boeser has been there for the Wild for fairly a while. Guerin hoped to make a commerce work when the ahead was positioned on the block in 2022-23, per The Athletic‘s Michael Russo, however could not hack it throughout the Wild’s cap scenario. It might take vital number-crunching, and maybe willingness on the a part of the Canucks to retain some wage, however with the cap anticipated to rise considerably over the following three seasons, it is potential that Minnesota takes a run on the hometown expertise.

The defending Stanley Cup champions are not any strangers to taking large swings in pursuit of greatness and with their aggressive window as large as ever, there is not any purpose to consider that this yr will probably be any completely different.

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Panthers are in want of a right-shot defenceman and Seth Jones suits the invoice, however how does a Matthew Tkachuk damage issue into their deadline plans? Injured on the 4 Nations Face-Off, there’s concern that Tkachuk’s ailment could possibly be long-term, although coach Paul Maurice stated on Monday that he expects the left-winger to play for the workforce once more this yr — whether or not that is within the common season or playoffs remains to be to be decided.

Within the meantime, is it potential that this membership additionally pursues a top-six winger like Boeser, who may moderately complement a number of the offence in Tkachuk’s absence?

Boeser would not outright change Tkachuk, who has twice eclipsed 100 factors and is a point-per-game in 4 consecutive seasons, however he is on tempo for 27 targets and might present some goal-scoring potential to enrich the Panthers’ large weapons.

Final season’s 57 purpose man Sam Reinhart has the first-line right-wing spot cemented, however Boeser could possibly be an improve on Evan Rodrigues, who has carried out properly for the Panthers as a secondary scorer, however has by no means eclipsed 43 factors in a season — one thing Boeser has achieved seven instances and is on tempo to do once more this yr.

This deal could possibly be profitable for the Canucks going the opposite method. Florida at present nonetheless holds their first-round decide for 2026, a draft class largely believed to be deeper than 2025. If the Canucks can fetch a first-rounder for Boeser — and the Mikael Granlund commerce package deal means that could be very doable — then having a further 2026 first-round decide might be an unbelievable asset, particularly if the Canucks resolve to make extra strikes on the deadline.

The Canucks aren’t a workforce who concern intra-divisional trades. See final season’s Elias Lindholm-Andrei Kuzmenko commerce with the Calgary Flames or the delivery of Vasily Podkolzin to the Edmonton Oilers earlier this season. For that purpose, it is not crazy-talk to contemplate a commerce between the Canucks and their divisional rival the Kings.

So how would Boeser match? For starters, he may help in sparking their dismal energy play, which sits at 15.2 per cent and is sweet for second-worst within the Western Convention, behind solely bottom-feeding Anaheim. Boeser has 14 power-play factors to this point this season, hit a career-high of 25 final season and has by no means dipped under 14 in a full yr. He is additionally received 40 power-play targets because the 2021-22 season, regardless of lacking some video games in almost yearly in that point.

Very like the Wild, the Kings are additionally in quest of a difference-maker come the post-season. They have not received a playoff spherical since profitable the Stanley Cup in 2014 and the Oilers have bounced them from the playoffs three years working. In the event that they do face a well-known foe this spring — totally potential given the make-up of the Pacific Division — Boeser has some expertise scoring in opposition to the Oilers, with 10 targets and 6 assists in opposition to Edmonton because the begin of the 2023-24 season.

For the Canucks, the Kings have some draft capital, however extra intriguingly they’ve some stable, if not underused, younger gamers that is likely to be of curiosity to Vancouver. May they attempt to nab 23-year-old Alex Lafrerierre, which might liberate a spot for Boeser on the Kings’ second line? Or maybe Brandt Clarke, the defenceman chosen eighth-overall in 2021 however has not been given runway with the Kings and has spent the vast majority of the season enjoying fourth-line ahead or sitting within the press field?

The Kings are additionally strapped for cap house so would probably need to ship a participant out to make the deal work. Both method, this could possibly be an fascinating dark-horse candidate to land Boeser.

This one may be a bit far-fetched, particularly contemplating they’re actively competing with the Canucks for the second wild-card spot within the West, however this can be a workforce that would profit from a participant with Boeser’s acumen and at this stage of his profession.

Whereas in Arizona, it felt like this workforce was in rebuild purgatory, drafting promising younger gamers with expertise however no outcomes to point out for it. In Salt Lake Metropolis now with an proprietor keen to put money into the workforce, Utah has taken a step ahead this season and is nearer to the playoffs than they’ve been because the 2020 bubble.

They’re now within the stage of a rebuild the place they require skilled, expert gamers fairly than draft picks — of which they’ve a lot to spare — and Boeser may complement the management group each in expertise and in expertise.

Boeser has additionally performed with top-line winger Nick Schmaltz, creating chemistry on the ‘CBS’ line on the College of North Dakota alongside Drake Caggiula, and led the Preventing Hawks to a NCAA championship in 2016.

With just below $6 million of projected cap house forward of the deadline, Utah may moderately make the numbers work on a Boeser commerce. After all, because the workforce is not in a playoff place, it makes little sense to accumulate Boeser as a rental, so basic supervisor Invoice Armstrong will probably solely make this commerce in the event that they consider they’ll signal him to a long-term extension. With some contracts coming off the books for Utah on the finish of this season, it is potential they’ve the money to do this.